


Voice of the ocean

by Kairin16



Series: The Triton's Throne [2]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Fairy Tale Elements, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-21 01:36:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6033301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairin16/pseuds/Kairin16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles wakes up from a dream.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Voice of the ocean

**Author's Note:**

> Finally rewritten what was lost when my computer crashed these months ago. This is a sequel to The Line Between the Earth and the Sky and is a gift for @rogueinquizitors just like the previous one was. There’s a third - probably the final part coming to this too.

Charles woke up with a gasp in a hospital bed, the underwater metropolis fading in the light of the sunlight like a dream it must have been. There was an oxygen mask over his face and the beeping of the machine monitoring his heartbeat to his left. Fighting against a reflex to jerk up and make more trouble for himself, he leant back into the pillows and tried to regulate his breathing.

The dream he left behind pressed at the back of his mind like a tangible thing. It felt real, but there was no possible way it had been. He must have felt asleep on the boat and- Well, something must have happened. Charles pushed the thought of the underwater scene away from his mind, something squeezing in his chest at the clear dismissal. He could almost taste the salt water, but whether that was due to the dream and his mind playing tricks on him, or perhaps due to whatever happened at the boat, he’d have to find out.  


Calmed, he reached to the button summoning the nurse and pressed it firmly. The oxygen mask was getting uncomfortable, but he didn’t want to pull it off without an OK from a doctor first. Frowning, he looked out the nearby window, the ocean spreading past the horizon glittering in the morning sun. There was something strange about it, a calmness that felt as artificial as the air Charles was currently breathing in. Before he could contemplate it longer, the door to his room opened and an elderly doctor rushed in, followed by Raven.  


“Raven.” Charles said and reached a hand out to his little sister, squeezing her fingers when they locked around his. The doctor was saying something, but Charles couldn’t bring himself to listen very closely.  


Raven has always been a princess of their family, even since Charles’ mother adopted her at the fragile age of three. Fair skinned and blond she couldn’t be more similar to Sharon Xavier if she was blood relation to the woman. But now, a completely different person sat next to Charles. The fair skin was still there, but it almost glowed with something ethereal, more beautiful than it had ever been. Raven’s blue eyes were gone and there was gold hazel looking at Charles inquisitively. The biggest surprise, the one most noticeable was the hair Charles was running his fingers through – its colour red as a fire. They didn’t look died.  


“Mr. Xavier?” The doctor said worriedly and patted his shoulder lightly. From the man’s face Charles could see that it wasn’t the first time his attention has been called.  


“I’m sorry, doctor. Can you repeat?” Charles managed, forcing his eyes away from Raven’s new visage to the medic.  


“Your sister has offered to look after you, Mr. Xavier, so we can let you go as soon as you’re ready.” Doctor said and detached the oxygen mask from Charles. The first breath of the natural seaside air had Charles realizing how wrong it had been. “You were very lucky that the fishermen saw you going out to the sea and were able to help you once the storm hit.” Doctor said and started regaling the tale of Charles’ rescue, most of it very unbelievable.  


Charles shook his head and turned back to Raven, her new looks dragging him back like a magnet pole. She gave him a weak smile and kissed his knuckles. Something hot prickled at the back of his eyes and with a snort he rubbed the tears away. He nodded to himself and turned to the doctor asking for the paperwork. If he was going to figure out what happened and why was he feeling so off kilter, he was going to do it at his own house.

  


The house was empty, as it had been for years now, but for some reason the oppressive silence made Charles stumble through the doorway to the kitchen from surprise. He knew what the house was like, he was there that morning, but something was different. He couldn’t reliably say whether it was him or the house however and that put him on edge.  


“Charles? I’ll put the paperwork in the office!” Raven called out before making her way deeper into the house, her heels clicking a soft staccato rhythm on the wooden floor. That too, felt wrong somehow, even though Raven always wore kitten heels and always made that noise when she moved.  


With shaking hands, Charles put on a kettle to boil and pulled out his favorite tea blend from the cupboard. There was something eerie about the whole situation, as if everything moved two inches to the left while he wasn’t looking and now he kept catching himself reaching for something that wasn’t there. And through it all, he could swear he could the ocean itself calling him. There was none of the anger that haunted his dreams the last few days, only a soft song that echoed in every little place in Charles’ mind. Maybe that was wrong – he overworked himself into insanity.  


“Are you okay?” Raven said softly, pouring hot water into two cups. Charles didn’t even notice when the kettle started whistling. “You look like you’re not all the way here.”  


“I like your hair like that.” Charles said, surprising himself with the honesty of the statement. Raven looked at him surprised before breaking into a sunny smile he hasn’t seen on her face since they were children.  


“Yeah? I think it suits me better than blond.” Raven said and nudged him with her shoulder before carrying both cups to the table.  


“It does.” Charles followed, feeling more grounded than minutes before. “You look better overall. What’ve you been up to?” He sat next to her and poured some sugar into the cup before stirring.  


“Nothing much.” Raven shrugged and leant back in her chair, looking at him with a grim smile. “The company has been hell since the day you walked out for your holidays so I told everyone to stuff it and left too.”  


Charles laughed at that, couldn’t help it, imagining the faces of his co-workers when Raven’s temper finally snapped.  


_“Charles.”_ Smooth voice echoed and the laughter died in Charles’ throat, his eyes turning to the bay door looking out to the ocean automatically.  


“Charles.” Raven said and squeezed his wrist. He turned to her fast enough that his neck protested and he pushed at the muscles with the heel of his palm, trying not to wince. “Charles,” Raven repeated, looking at him with concern. “what happened on the boat? You should have been okay during the storm.”  


“I don’t know.” Charles admitted, shrugging and running a hand through his hair. “I think I fell asleep. I had a dream-“ He stumbled over a word and bit his bottom lip, frowning. Raven let him think in silence, rubbing her thumb over the back of his wrist in a soothing manner. “I’m not sure it was a dream, Raven.” He said gravely in the end, swallowing tightly against the realization.  


“Do you-? “ Raven hesitated and licked over her lip before looking at him squarely. She was always so much braver than he gave her a credit for. “Do you remember anything else besides the dream?”  


It was on a tip of his tongue to ask her what could she mean, but it wouldn’t pass his lips. She looked beautiful and otherworldly and he could hear the ocean since he was a little child. There was something in the back of his mind that knew from the start that the dream was real and who was calling to him from the ocean. He looked away from Raven, focusing on his chilling tea and tried not to feel like a coward when he said  


“No.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come see me at tumblr! I go as lifesmarvels or if you're only interested in the writing part seedofthought.


End file.
